


i'll give you anything for just one kiss

by cheyritorizawa



Category: Hermitcraft RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Mutual Pining, but just the booth itself, highly inspired by the kissing booth, they are all oblivious idiots who love each other please spare them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:02:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25531039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cheyritorizawa/pseuds/cheyritorizawa
Summary: In which Zedaph, Impulse and Tango are all oblivious, pining idiots.Maybe a little Kissing Booth will help.
Relationships: Tango Tek/Zedaph (Video Blogging RPF), ZIT, Zedaph/impulseSV/Tango Tek, impulseSV & Tango Tek & Zedaph (Video Blogging RPF), impulseSV/Tango Tek (Video Blogging RPF), impulseSV/Zedaph (Video Blogging RPF), zedaph/impulse/tango
Comments: 15
Kudos: 111





	i'll give you anything for just one kiss

**Author's Note:**

> this fic is highly inspired by the movie, The Kissing Booth! you don't have to watch it in order to know what's going on, though! enjoy!

It starts by Grian asking Zedaph a simple question after their baseball practice.

They had walked off the field and were getting ready to pack up, when Grian stops Zedaph at the bench while they drink up after training. He asks, “Wanna help out with the Kissing Booth?”

Zedaph laughs. He wipes his sweat with his towel and takes a long swig of his water, before answering with a confused, “What?”

“The Kissing Booth,” Grian repeats. “For the carnival this week. I heard quite a few people want you on the list.”

Zedaph laughs again, slinging his towel over his shoulder as he packs his equipment up. “Me? No way. Who will want to kiss this?”

“So many people, Zed. You’re literally the main pitcher for our team, which makes you a hot choice,” Grian adds as he joins in the packing. “Besides, you’re cute.”

“Nah,” Zedaph says with little hesitation. His insides feel a little icky at the idea of kissing anyone but Tango and Impulse, but Grian is persistent in convincing him.

“Maybe they will sign up to kiss you too, you never know.” Zedaph isn’t looking at Grian, but he can hear the gleeful smirk in his voice. He knew it was a terrible idea to tell Grian about his crush, but what can he do but play it off innocently?

He smiles at Grian, eyes barely crinkling at the edges. “Sorry, who?” He says, as fake as he can possibly manage.

“Don’t come at me pretending you don’t know. Your two darling best friends, Tango and Im-”

Grian doesn’t get to finish his sentence, however, as Zedaph’s ears perk up at the sound of Impulse’s voice from the nearby walkway, shouting, “Hey, Zed! Are you ready to go?”

Zedaph panics and puts his hand over Grian’s mouth, and rushes a, “Shut up.” His eyes dart over to where Tango and Impulse are standing. “I’ll consider it. Maybe.”

Grian’s eyes glimmer at the prospect of Zedaph helping him out, and perhaps at the way Zedaph looked so flustered after Grian’s proposal. As Zedaph removes his hand from his mouth, Grian laughs and says, “I don’t think I’m the only one who would benefit from this.”

* * *

Zedaph falls into the familiar rhythm of being in Impulse’s car with Tango and Impulse, but his brain is frankly not present. He sits at the back of the car, his gear beside him while Tango rides shotgun, the mindless conversation of his friends going in one ear and floating out the other. Instead, he thinks about Grian’s offer, and about what Grian said before he left. 

He’s not sure what Grian meant, but he decides to brush it off on account of the fact that Grian had suggested there were a handful of people who requested him to be there. It was flattering, really, but his heart couldn’t help to yearn for two specific people.

It was a little painful, seeing his two best friends date each other while he hopelessly pines over the both of them. It wasn’t like they treat him like a third wheel, and on the contrary, they treat him so well that he sometimes lets go and lets himself pretend that he is part of the relationship too.

But, alas, some things cannot be helped, and Zedaph is caught in the dilemma of confessing to the two of his best friends, which risks losing their amazing friendship, and keeping his feelings hidden as his heart breaks a little more every day. (It’s not much of a dilemma, honestly. Zedaph would give up anything just to be close to Tango and Impulse forever.)

He vaguely hears Tango say goodbye to him as he gathers his things messily while stumbling out of the car. Tango leans over and kisses Impulse’s cheek. He smiles at Impulse sweetly, and says, “Thanks, handsome. Love you.”

Zedaph can’t help the tiny rip of his heart as he sees their smiles. He shouldn’t be jealous, he can’t be jealous of his two best friends dating each other just because he likes them.

‘Perhaps,’ Zed thinks as Impulse starts driving him home, ‘the Kissing Booth would be a good distraction, if only for a night. Besides, maybe I would be able to find someone else and get over them once and for all.’ 

And if his heart had torn softly at the fear of it happening, that was for him to know.

It’s for the good of them all.

* * *

“I’m going to go for the Kissing Booth on Sunday,” Zedaph announces as he puts his food tray down on the table during lunch.

Tango barely spares Zedaph a look from where he was pushing his broccoli around his plate. “During the carnival? Yeah, I think I’ll go check out the booth for a while.”

“Don’t think I will, but I guess it depends who’s there,” Impulse adds, mashing his potatoes with his spoon.

Zedaph settles down in his seat across the two of them, making himself comfortable, before clarifying, “No, no. I’m going to be there, like, for a shift.”

Tango’s fork clangs against his plate. “What?” He looks up at Zedaph, head shaking furiously. “No, no, no. You cannot do that.”

Zedaph’s brows furrow together, face morphing into one of confusion. “What? Wait, why?”

“You just can’t! What if, what if people make use of you or something?” Tango’s voice is evidently getting louder, anger rising in his voice.

“Tango has a point, Zed,” Impulse adds, voice as calm as always, but the tightening grip on his spoon speaks otherwise.

“Impulse, you’re supposed to be on my side!” Zedaph whines. “Besides, this is for charity! Grian told me I would help the sales quite a bit.”

“Oh, since Grian told you, you wanna go for it, huh? How about your best friends who are telling you not to?” Tango is nearly standing up by now, voice flaring, and Zedaph doesn’t know why.

Impulse sets his spoon down, saying, “He has a point, though, Zed. It’s not a great idea thinking about other people paying to use you, is it?”

Zedaph picks up his untouched food, hands tightly gripping on his tray. “I don’t get why the two of you are so angry, to be honest. People want me there, and I’ll be doing good, I don’t see the problem. The two of you are simply too overprotective.”

“We’re just concerned for you, Zed,” Impulse tries telling him, but Zedaph is already stepping away from the table.

“And why do the two of you care anyway? You already have each other.”

* * *

Tango and Impulse watch Zedaph storm off towards Grian’s table, where all the other baseball players sit, not looking back at the two of them.

Tango’s anger dissipates as quickly as it came, and guilt overwhelms him instead. Sometimes, Tango thinks about how lucky he and Impulse are to have Zedaph sacrifice his time with the popular jocks for them, two robotics nerds. 

Of course, it felt more than amazing to have Impulse with him, but there was a missing piece in their tiny puzzle of a relationship, and they both knew what it was. But if the puzzle piece refused to fit with them, then what could they do but accept it and adapt?

Tango sighs, and places his head in his hands. Impulse’s hand flies up to Tango’s back, moving in smooth circles to comfort him. “God, I’m so sorry, Pulsey. I… I got jealous and I just… He must be so pissed at me right now.”

Impulse stays quiet for a while, before saying, “I was at fault too. He’ll… We’ll be alright.”

* * *

The entire day felt weird without Zedaph. Despite their odd schedules, the three of them always found ways to make do and meet up whenever they had free time. Whether it be attempting to study, or just basking in each other’s presence for the short amount of time they had, the three of them cherished every moment they had together. 

Things were different that Friday, and Zedaph didn’t show up for any of their scheduled meetups. It was just Tango and Impulse, Impulse and Tango, no Zedaph. They could lie to themselves and say that Zedaph probably got busy with another project and didn’t have the time to inform them, but why bother lying when the truth lies heavy on their shoulders?

On Fridays, especially, Impulse would drive the two of them to a nearby ice cream parlour, and the three of them would just hang out and talk about their week.

This Friday, however, Tango and Impulse just couldn’t find Zedaph after school ended. In the end, someone informed them they had seen Zedaph exit school with some baseball player.

They went to the ice cream parlour alone, the last seat of their usual round table empty.

* * *

Sunday couldn’t roll around quicker. 

Despite their fight with Zedaph, both Tango and Impulse still decide to go for the carnival. Tickets had been bought, they couldn’t just waste their precious money just like that.

“Maybe,” Impulse had rationalised, “we’ll see Zed there and we can apologise, how about that?”

The carnival was a great distraction for the two of them. Carnival booths buzzed with energy with neon lights that lit up the stores, and the couple could take their minds off what was weighing them down temporarily, playing different games together as the sun moved down the horizon.

But of course, they had to pass the Kissing Booth. 

It wasn’t planned. Tango had wanted some cotton candy, and the easiest way to it from the toss-a-ring store was right past the Kissing Booth. They hadn’t actively gone out of their way to avoid the Kissing Booth, they just had a silent agreement not to mention it.

They couldn’t regret it more.

Zedaph stood there, a dark blindfold covering his eyes, the sleeves of his usual brown jacket rolled up to his elbows. A large queue had formed in front of him, a healthy mix of men and women alike, all eager to earn a chance to kiss Zedaph.

But what catches their attention the most is his lips. They were red and swollen and shiny with saliva, and Impulse wants nothing more but to press his own lips against them. He had dreamed about those lips like that for months on end, but nothing could ever live up to the real deal.

They watched as people casually walked up to Zedaph, some cradling his head as their lips smashed together. Yet, while a small bubble of envy floated up Tango’s chest, what broke him the most was his smile. The way Zedaph stood there so innocently while waiting for the newest customer, and the way the corners of his lips curved up into kisses was way too much for Tango to handle.

Zedaph was enjoying this, and Tango came to three revelations at the same time:

Firstly, he never should have even attempted at stopping Zedaph from helping out with the booth.

Secondly, Zedaph is fine kissing people at random. Any hopes of Zedaph ever liking them back faded away.

But lastly, God, does he want to kiss Zedaph.

And so, he does. He pulls Impulse into the queue, holding a coupon as they wait in line.

It takes some time, for Zedaph’s queue is terribly long (Impulse doesn’t like this fact at all, but he’s got to live with it). Everytime the queue gets shorter, Impulse feels a rush of anticipation travel up his spine, as he observes how Zedaph kisses. Heat rises up to his cheeks slowly, and the anticipation gets his hands jittery and palms sweaty.

And suddenly, it’s Tango’s turn.

He walks up to Zedaph, the shorter blond smiling at where he thinks Tango is. 

“Hey, how are you?” Zedaph asks.

Tango stays quiet. He doesn’t want to give away his identity, lest any chances of reconciling with Zedaph disappears.

“A quiet one, huh? It’s fine, I’m flattered you came anyway.” With that, Zedaph reaches out to find Tango’s face, and once he does, he cups Tango’s cheeks, and stands on his tiptoes to crash his lips on Tango’s.

Tango is in a state of shock at first, his brain freezing, but he comes back to his senses quickly. He reaches his hands up, and buries his hands in Zedaph’s hair, tilting his head for a more comfortable position. 

He doesn’t know how long that lasted, and honestly doesn’t care to know, for his brain is chanting  _ Zedaph, Zedaph, Zedaph _ on repeat, and all he can feel is Zedaph’s lips on his.

Then, the kiss comes to a stop abruptly, Zedaph moving back with a huff.

“Ooh, that was nice.” Zedaph smiles, and Tango wants to sue him for what that does to his heart. “Thanks for coming!”

That’s Tango’s cue to leave the stage and watch Impulse get wrecked instead.

Impulse’s hands are sweaty, and he furiously wipes them on his shorts as he walks up the stage to Zedaph. After seeing Zedaph kiss Tango with so much fervour, he’s not sure his poor, little heart will be able to take anything remotely close to that. But he’s paid for his turn, he can’t back out now.

“Hello!” Zedaph greets with a smile at Impulse’s rough direction. Impulse opens his mouth to answer, but shakes his head slightly and decides against it. After all that has happened with Zedaph in the past few days, he doesn’t want to risk anything.

“Another silent one, huh?” Zedaph says. “Alright, come here.”

Impulse shuffles towards Zedaph, as Zedaph feels around for Impulse. His hands are a little low, and Zedaph’s hands reach towards Impulse’s collar instead. Impulse wants to guide Zedaph’s hands, but he doesn’t get the chance as Zedaph pulls his collar down towards him, effectively smashing their lips together.

No amount of daydreaming could ever prepare Impulse for the real deal. The way Zedaph’s lips mould against his, the way their noses bump slightly, it’s not perfect, but Impulse is in a state of ecstasy and he never wants anything more. His eyes stay open in surprise for a while and he doesn’t know where to put his hands at first, but as the kiss progresses, he lands his hands on Zedaph’s shoulders and closes his eyes, gradually getting more comfortable.

And suddenly, Zedaph releases Impulse, first disconnecting their lips, then lets go of his collar.

“Sorry if I crumpled your shirt, but thanks for coming!” He waves at Impulse’s direction, and Impulse nods at Zedaph dumbly, fully knowing that Zedaph cannot see him, and stumbles off stage to Tango.

The two of them don’t say anything to each other, just small, genuine smiles playing on their lips. Tango closes his eyes and breathes, and Impulse follows suit.

They end up taking Impulse’s car back home immediately, coupons and cotton candy be damned.

* * *

It was a surprise to the both of them when Zedaph slid back to his usual seat in the cafeteria opposite them. Both of them were obviously not expecting him, for Tango jumped slightly and the noise Zedaph made, effectively spilling his juice, while Impulse’s head snapped up. Their cheeks heated up slightly after registering who it was, but it was Tango who regained his composure first.

“H-hey Zed. Nice to see you here,” Tango stammered out, evidently still flustered. “Look, I wanna apologise for what I said on Friday. I was angry for no reason, and I bet you had fun on Sunday.” He looks over to Impulse, whose eyes widen at the movement, then nods quickly.

He purses his lips and continues, “Yeah, we should’ve known you know what’s best for yourself. I’m sorry.”

Zedaph, who had started to dig into his food, smiles at them and says, “It’s fine! I had quite a lot of fun! As a punishment for being angry at me, for no apparent reason, by the way, how about I tell you guys about it?”

Impulse opens his mouth to say something, but Zedaph cuts in and says, “Nope, you don’t get a choice. I’m telling you.”

Impulse and Tango share a look, and smile. This was the Zedaph they knew and loved, back by their side.

“Anyway, there were some people who were absolute shit kissers. Like, what the hell? Have you never watched a romance movie? Ooh, but I used to think it would be a little weird kissing someone with stubble, but there was this one kiss that I particularly enjoyed with this boy with stubble. Ooh, and the guy before him too, that dude was a hella good kisser. I would do anything to find out who he is.”

Zedaph rambles on, and while both Tango and Impulse are infinitely glad to have Zedaph back, an empty pit forms in both their stomachs, realising they’re no different from anyone Zedaph kissed. Just a paying customer, desperate for Zedaph’s affection.

It doesn’t help that Zedaph can’t seem to shut up about how great Sunday was for him, and while they usually would love to hear Zedaph’s voice for hours on end, every sentence that spills out breaks their hearts word by word.

* * *

It goes on for the entire day, and Tango is starting to think Zedaph has lost his final braincell to the Kissing Booth. They’re in Algebra class, and Zedaph refuses to talk about anything other than how nice this one boy’s shampoo smelt, and how he wishes to be able to kiss him again. Tango’s grip tightens on his pencil as Zedaph’s words float around his brain, not processing much of what he’s saying.

Tango has half the mind to tell Zedaph to stop, but after what happened a few days back, Tango doesn’t want to risk anything. He smiles and nods and adds his “mmhms”, but nothing really goes in. 

It happens throughout the day, whenever they have lessons together, and Tango is quite sure Impulse is at the receiving end of this torture too. It goes on even until after Zedaph’s baseball practice, and as they walk to Impulses car, Zedaph is still going on and on about his experience at the Kissing Booth.

“You guys have no idea. I couldn’t stop thinking about these two kisses. There was this one where he put his arms on my shoulder and he was obviously super awkward. I even had to pull him down because he was so hesitant,” Zedaph shakes his head and laughs. “But he was quite a good kisser. Ooh! He’s the same guy with the stubble I mentioned just now.”

Tango has his arm slung across Impulse’s shoulder, his arm near to Impulse’s chin. The two of them walk beside Zedaph, stuck between droning Zedaph’s voice out and appreciating him talking to them. At this point, they weren’t even irritated, just sad. 

As they walk to the car, Impulse’s mind seems to be elsewhere, and without looking at the path in front of him, nearly trips over a curb. Tango pulls him in with his arm, his arm touching the side of Impulse’s chin. The short hair on Impulse’s chin makes Tango want to remind Impulse to shave soon, but before he can open his mouth, something clicks. He stops in his tracks, effectively stopping Impulse as well. He thinks about what he saw at the carnival, when he watched Zedaph kiss Impulse after him.

The stubble, the arms on the shoulder, Zedaph pulling Impulse down by the collar… It hits Tango like a ball to the face, but he doesn’t know how to feel.

“Wait, wait, Zed. Are you talking about… Impy?” Tango asks before he can stop himself. He feels Impulse freeze next to him, his shoulders tensing under his arm. He wants to take back what he said, his brain now a shy, jumbled mess, but he doesn’t get the chance, for Zedaph replies him far too quickly.

Zedaph stops and turns back to them, a shy smile playing on his lips. His reply is quick but nervous, his eyes darting around them. He tilts his head slightly to the side and says, “Yeah.”

Zedaph seems to have gained some courage after that, and he looks at the two of them expectantly, the shy smile evolving into something bigger. Tango doesn’t understand. 

He releases Impulse from his grip, and trying to speak without his voice breaking, he says, “Ah. That’s… That’s great. That’s great for you Impy, I’m happy for you.” His heart is dropping in his chest, his brain repeatedly reminding him the Zedaph likes Impulse, but Zedaph doesn’t like him.

Tango is about to walk away to let Impulse and Zedaph have time to talk it out, but before he can even take his first step away, Impulse is holding his wrist.

“Wait, Tango. Zed, doesn’t this mean that the other person you keep talking about is… Tango?” Impulse asks. There is a small smile tugging at his lips, and his shoulders seemed to have relaxed.

Tango slowly gains the courage to look at Zedaph, who is nodding excitedly in reply, his expectant smile growing larger.

“Really?” Tango is still hesitant as he looks from Zedaph to Impulse, the latter’s smile growing as large as Zedaph’s by the second.

“Yeah,” Zedaph breathes out. “I knew it was the two of you when you came, how could I not? Tango has such a distinctive smell and Impy’s stubble just gave it away. I was so happy that you two came. I thought you’d still be mad at me. Besides, I’ve been wanting to kiss you two for so long.”

Impulse feels his heart stop for a millisecond the moment he registers what Zedaph had just said. “I’m sorry, you… You wanted to kiss us?”

A small frown appears on Zedaph’s face for a brief second, but it disappears as quickly as it came. “Yeah, I mean, who wouldn’t?”

Both Tango and Impulse laugh, and Impulse says, “Good. Because we have been wanting to kiss you for a long time now.”

Zedaph visibly relaxes at that statement, and he takes a step closer to the two of them.

“Then do it.”

They didn’t need to be reminded twice. Tango ducks down to Zedaph’s temple, leaving a small kiss there, while Impulse bends down and kisses his cheek. Zedaph smiles, and that’s all Impulse needed to see to move over slightly, pushing his lips onto Zedaph’s. He buries one hand into Tango’s hair, while his other hand grabs Zedaph’s wrist.

He releases Zedaph, and Tango takes his place shortly after. Impulse moves behind Zedaph and hugs him, while Tango tilts his head for comfort, pressing his lips against Zedaph’s soft ones.

The honk of a car jumps them back into their senses as they remember they are in the middle of the school car park. The window of the car rolls down, revealing Grian, who laughs heartily and says, “Finally! Go get ‘em, tiger!” He laughs again, giving Zedaph a big thumbs up before driving away. 

Zedaph’s face heats up instantly, while Impulse and Tango laugh at his increasingly red face. Zedaph, albeit embarrassed, giggles along with them and smacks Impulse lightly on his chest. 

They calm down soon enough, and Zedaph’s eyes seem to shine with disbelief, his voice slightly dreamy. A little breathless, he says, “I sure hope that wasn’t just for fun.”

“Oh, absolutely not, Zed!” Tango replies, a little indignant, while Impulse shakes his head next to him.

“Good, because I wasn’t joking either.”

* * *

(Just before Tango packs his things to exit Impulse’s car, something hits him.

“Does this mean you were talking about us all day?” He asks Zedaph, a little embarrassed.

Zedaph, evidently still slightly high on adrenaline from getting together with both of his crushes, laughs. “Of course! I kept on going on and on, hoping that the two of you would notice. However, unfortunately for me, the two of you are utter idiots.”

Impulse laughs from in front of him, and adds, “We’re your idiots now, though.”

And this time, as Tango leaves the car, after he gives Impulse his usual peck on the cheek, he bends over and gives Zedaph a quick kiss. 

Zedaph couldn’t be happier.)

**Author's Note:**

> what do tangpulse do once they go back to impulse's apartment after the carnival? you decide ;)
> 
> but that's a wrap! i finally watched the movie and i literally went no thoughts head team zit, then vomited this out in less than a day.
> 
> biggggg props to nev for helping me out and for betaing!
> 
> constructive criticism is accepted, and kudos and comments will be greatly appreciated! thank you! :D
> 
> find me and send me asks on [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/thezitteam)


End file.
